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On Wednesday, July 19, two senior members of the Workers’ Party (WP), Leon Perera and Nicole Seah, resigned from their respective posts after the news of their alleged extramarital affair surfaced in the Parliament of Singapore. This comes in the wake of the double resignations of former Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin (MP for Marine Parade GRC since 2011) and MP Cheng Li Hui, after they were accused of having illegitimate relationships too. Both were associated with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP).
The resignations of Mr. Perera and Ms. Seah were confirmed by the secretary-general of the Workers’ Party, Pritam Singh, via a press conference. He also clarified that the acting Speaker was aware of their resignations.
The steps come two days (Monday) after footage allegedly showing Perera and Seah surfaced on Facebook, prompting the WP to investigate what it called an “inappropriate exchange between two senior Party members.” 53-year-old Leon Perera and 36-year-old Nicole Seah are both married and have two kids each.
The 15-second soundless clipping showed Leon Perera dining with Nicole Seah while holding and stroking her hands. It was posted by a Facebook user name Victoria Wang. However, both the post and the account were deleted as of Tuesday evening.
Leon Perera has been married since 2003
Leon Perera has been married to Carol Perera since 2003. The couple has two children, a son and a daughter. While it is unknown how old his kids are, his alleged affair with fellow parliamentarian Nicole Leah (who has been married to Bryan Leah since 2015 and also has two kids) was first reported in early 2021.
The accusations were made by Mr. Perera’s personal chauffeur to several WP senior members, including Mr. Singh. He had communicated the same via WhatsApp messages stating that Leon Perera and Nicole Seah were meeting very often at restaurants and hotels and were allegedly seen hugging and holding hands in public.
Back then, both Perera and Seah denied their affair. Not only that, but due to a lack of proper evidence or corroborating information, the Workers’ Party could not take proper measures.
Meanwhile, Perera informed his colleagues that his driver’s allegations were baseless, and he only did so out of spite as the two of them were involved in a separate ongoing dispute. Perera also told his party how he was on his way to fire his driver and even sought legal measures against his false accusations. When Seah was approached, she too denied the allegations.
In the recent press conference addressing the resignations, Pritam Singh said that it was on July 17 that he and other WP members saw evidence of the affair for the first time, courtesy of the Facebook video. They immediately launched a thorough investigation and sittings with the duo, after which, it was revealed that the alleged affair began after the 2020 General Election in Singapore and stopped a while back in early July 2023, as per their admission. He further added:
“Leon's conduct and not being truthful when asked by the party leadership about the allegations fell short of the standards expected of Workers' Party MPs. This is unacceptable.”
He also stated how the WP “expects all its members to fully own and account for their behavior,” something both Perera and Seah failed to do in recent years. Having said that, Mr. Singh said that he hoped that the families heal and can move on in their respective ways. He also called Mr. Perera a “highly effective MP.”
In brief, about Leon Perera's career
Before joining politics actively, Leon Perera was a long-time Workers’ Party grassroots activist in the Paya Lebar ward of Aljunied GRC. In 2020, he became a Non-Constituency Member of the Parliament after he was nominated by the Workers’ Party to represent the Serangoon 13th division of Aljunied GRC. He has also headed the media team of the party and been part of WP’s Central Executive Committee (CEC).
Prior to that, he served on the committee of the local human rights organization Maruah. He was also the Vice President of the migrant worker rights organization HOME. Further, he was an adviser to the alternative news website The Independent.
However, he had begun his career completely outside politics as a senior officer at the Economic Development Board’s International Business Development Division. He was in charge of policy planning in support of Singapore’s regional investments. Later, he worked as the Assistant Head in the Enterprise Development Division, enabling the growth of large-scale Singapore-based companies in the service sector.
Leon Perera was also the co-founder and CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, a global business research and consultancy agency. Besides, he is an active member of the Economic Society of Singapore, and the Singapore Institute of Directors.
